Watch Me Entertain Myself!

Sacha Guitry once said, "You can pretend to be serious, but you can't pretend to be witty." Oh yes, I'm the great pretender.
(pilot episode: 20 January 2004)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Free To Love



I really would have liked this TV commercial a whole lot more, if it weren’t for just that one line. The one wherein the priest says: “If only gay people could stop feeling guilty for being different.”

Excuse me, Father. No wait, that’s just an actor playing a priest. Excuse me, Mister Copywriter and Mister Creative Director and whoever else is responsible for approving that line. But we gay people are not different. And we shouldn’t even feel that we’re different (even if others want us to), much less feel guilty. If I had my way, I’d re-write the line.

If only people would stop making gays feel guilty for being themselves.”

5 comments:

~Carrie~ said...

Teh, Singapura yan. Para sa kanila, being gay is being different. Hehehe

joelmcvie said...

@CARRIE: Yeah I know. Singapore and most other countries. Sigh.

ethan h said...

A lesbian co-worker and I showed this to other non-LGBT co-workers and they had no reaction, or di nila na feel.

I guess they could not relate. Being gay is indeed different, in a way.

a46479 said...

teh, he's a retired priest, the first asian bishop of the methodist church in malaysia and singapore. and he's very involved in the acceptance of lgbt in singapore. he's an advisor to the free community church, singapore's version of mcc.

i met him once in his house and i was moved that he had so much compassion for plu. he always speaks up for the community. and i think that he does more for it than most of the members in the community.

lastly, his comment does touch some nerve, specially for gay christians.

anton

joelmcvie said...

@ANTON: Ah! Well, that changes things then.

I'm glad that he's not an actor lang pala. But maybe those words were not his, but the writer's. Or it's possible that he also shares the same sentiments.

In either case, my sentiment remains the same. I dream one day of a world that does not see us gay people as "different," unless they're promoting the embracing of diversity (vive la différence!). And they should stop making us feel guilt of being gay. =)